How would you measure ritual:function ratio of beverage traditions (tea, coffee, wine, scotch, bourbon, beer, soda, water)
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so consider water. you need it to live, but other than the past few decades it was pretty dangerous.
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rituals like only drinking water made into mild ale or wine, useful but pre-germ theory we don't know why
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alcohol is also useful and dangerous; ritualization uses alcohol's properties for social benefit while tempering danger
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how much is the drug and how much the ritual? with caffeine in good oolong tea they multiply, so a bit more complicated than a %
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in sum, ritual and function have lots of overlap - and what looks like empty ritual from outside (raw milk) is often aesthetic fctn
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that can't be appreciated by the observer. Reminded of r.a. Fisher's lady tasting tea experiment
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hmm. I still think there's a useful distinction to be made...

